The redhead sitting at her desk was fiddling with a stray curl, sighing gently. She was leaning close to her phone which she'd propped up against a stack of textbooks and gazing intently at the screen with a sense of longing and irritation.

"Why," she uttered down the phone through her poor quality headphones, "why - do you have to live so far away?"

She heard a warm chuckle and her heart warmed just a little . Glancing at the screen again for a moment she saw his grin wind it's way across his lips and she smiled back. She couldn't help it.

"It's not all bad Merida." He adjusted his hair, ruffling it so it fell just so, as though it was slightly windswept. "We see each other every week!"

"Yes but you still live ages away -"

"Forty minutes in the car!"

"A good hour by train. And that's not if there isn't some shitty bus replacement service in the way and we don't get jibed at for not looking under sixteen; 'oh I'm sorry but we can't sell you a child's ticket you're clearly over sixteen' when I'm NOT , it's fairly obvious that I'm fifteen when you realise that I have absolutely no formal ID on me whatsoever because who wants to drag -"

"Merida." 

She could hear his gentle sigh and she shut up. 

Not because she was forced to, because she knew it was just as gut-wrenching for him as it was for her. She knew that he had it badly too, actually, he definitely had it worse. His school was good enough but his ex sat near him in history and that reminded him of times he wouldn't always talk about, even with her. Sometimes she just knew it was easier to stop complaining, because it'd do neither of them any good.

"It's literally two days until you see me," he smiled warmly. Merida paused for a moment. He was looking really good tonight, she decided, the light from his desk was falling on his face so it illuminated his eyes more than she was used to and his smile was brighter. "We'll get through it. We always do."

She nodded, not speaking, not looking at him, though she could sense his gaze upon her, unfaltering and unmoving. Without meeting his eye, she nodded, not saying a word. She heard a sigh and saw him recline back in his desk chair as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I know it's not easy for you either," she mumbled, "it's just not been a great week." Hiccup nodded.

"I know it has Merida, I know, but you know I'm always here? I always have been and I always will be. That's never going to change and you know that." When she didn't respond, he continued, slightly tentatively. "You do trust me, right?"

"Of course I trust you!" Merida jumped in, her eyes wide and worried. "I've always trusted you, so much more than anyone else! You know how hard that is after what happened with my mum."

"I know," Hiccup sighed, "I know Merida, she's never been there for you and your dad's always away. You have no solid reason to trust me apart from the fact that you love me." At this, he looked up for confirmation and saw by her smile that it was true. "I trust you. With all of me. You know that?" She nodded gently.

"I don't deserve you."

"What?"

"I don't. You're so good to me. You trust me with everything and you're always there for me. I don't deserve someone like you, Hiccup."

Hiccup sat up in his chair and looked at her, partly in adoration and partly in utter disbelief.

"You complete muppet, of course you deserve me! Remember the time I texted you about Snotlout and how he'd beaten me up? Remember what you did?"

"Got the next train the next day to check if you were okay, yes, but  -"

"You were willing to drop everything to come and see me. You were there the moment I needed you and you didn't think of yourself, I was your priority. If you're willing to do that without even thinking about it, of course you deserve me! Do you think I'd be here if I didn't want to be?"

"Probably not," Merida smiled weakly.

"Exactly," he grinned. "Remember Astrid? The second I realised I was being treated like shit I got myself out as quickly as I could, because I just didn't deserve that treatment anymore. I waited and waited and then I met you and I knew I had to try, no matter what it took. I wanted you, Merida, I wanted to get to know you and to be with you. And there is no one else I would rather have."

"No one?" Merida whispered, a tear she hadn't even noticed trickling down her cheek.

"No one, I promise you," Hiccup smiled. Merida nodded and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "Two days, Merida. We'll get through it; we always do."

"Yeah," she mumbled, smiling, "Thank you, Hiccup."

"For what?"

"Reassuring me."

"You deserve me. I deserve you. Merida, I can't think of another couple who are as well balanced. Can you?"

Merida shook her head, curls moving gently with her motion and as they continued to talk into the night, neither knew where this relationship would go. Neither truly cared. Both just knew that this felt right, perfect, for them right now. Neither wanted anything, anyone else, because that would be wrong. For now, they had to make do with video-calls and the odd letter, but they knew if anyone could do it, it would be them.